RACISM IS STILL HERE, WHITE PEOPLE

Ruth A. Sheets

So, racism is no longer a problem in the United States of America.  John Roberts told us so back in 2013 when he and the conservatives on the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act that had been passed again in 2006 by a vast majority of Congress.  Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina  repeated the lie in his response to President Biden’s speech ON the 100th day of his presidency.  Roberts is a privileged white guy who can’t seem to connect with ordinary Americans from his Supreme Court position.  Scott is a Black Republican from South Carolina.  They have an understanding of racism in common.

Republicans right now are mostly white people and either are or wannabe rich.  White folks have had so many privileges for so long it is hard for them to even imagine that these are privileges only white people have.  When a plan comes forward to give some assistance to anyone else, white people are encouraged to believe they will lose something in the process.  Republicans have bought into the lie that if someone gets something others lose something.  That is not the way the world has to work, but it is a POWERFUL device for keeping people in fear and getting working people to believe Republicans have their interests at heart.  In reality, most of the Republicans who really cared about working people's welfare died before most living Americans were born. 

The lie works, though because if things are said loud enough and repeated often enough and by men, people who are vulnerable may believe.  This pumping out of the zero sum game theory of life is racist, particularly when those who profess it are white, rich, and Republican.  Even Black Republicans like Sen. Scott and fellow Republican Clarence Thomas of Supreme Court fame bow to white supremacy because it allows them to be big fish in a little pool.  They have manage to be successful and can both claim this is due to their own efforts and therefore, this is not a racist nation.  The country is  racist, of course, but these men have been rewarded handsomely for their lies and submission, so why should they change.  

We as a nation should be able to do better.  Racism is at the center of nearly everything we do, however, so pretending it is no longer a problem will not work to heal our nation.  This is why I am pretty sure Republicans don't want to heal anything.  They benefit more from disunion, blaming, fearmongering, racism, and all the rest.  Their lies get broadcast all over right-wing media and the other media feel compelled to pick it up and keep covering it too, far beyond what any particular person’s or group’s actions deserve. 

It is even better if white Republicans/conservatives can show Black people and other people of color protesting because it fits the Republican mantra that only they care about this nation, only they love this country and are patriotic.  Those protesters aren’t really Americans, so protesters’ honest concerns can easily be dismissed as irrelevant and destructive.  Abuse by police, poorly resourced education, limited political representation, voter suppression, inadequate housing availability, etc., are not real problems. 

The Democratic Party needs to do better in messaging.  The party must show that Dems actually do care about working people and always have, perhaps not as much lately as they should, but far more than Republicans have in decades.  Republicans don't want workers of color to have unions or hold out for higher wages, living wages because it is easier to control people when they are suffering, in massive debt, and desperate.  White supremacy informs white people that others don’t deserve anything through the voting booth or on the job.  We learn that the vote must be kept “pure” from a Texas legislator, code for “white.”  Republicans don’t even cringe anymore when clearly racist statements are made and racist bills proposed.  It’s just another day at the office for them. 

Republican defense of such statements and proposed laws  are that these are really to protect the votes of Black and other voters.  They have created elaborate lies, explanations for their “base” to show their immense altruism, not racism.  Of course it’s racism, but for white people who don’t want to believe they and their party are racist, the deception works.

Congress, without any Republican support threw a monetary lifeline to Americans trying to survive the pandemic physically and economically.  Republican governors and legislators noticed that people aren’t rushing back to the low-paying jobs as businesses start to reopen and demand their return.  Instead of looking at why people aren’t returning in droves, Republican governors and legislators have decided it’s because the financial assistance is too much so people don’t want to work.  They are forcing people back into those crappy jobs by cutting support funding.  People must be forced back to work even if the wages are insufficient to cover expenses, let alone child care.  White privilege tells these governors and legislators (Mississippi being one), that people don't want to work and would rather be on the dole.  More lies, but their white privilege keeps the lies coming and feeds their supporters’ anger at those people.  It also feeds the politicians’ desire for more prestige among scared white voters.  Gotta MAKE those lazy people work for the  companies that will bring the economy back, mostly rich, white men who won't pay workers a living wage.  Yep, that’s racism.  Poor white workers are caught up in this too which is where classism and racism intersect.

Republicans are so busy defending election lies, bad-mouthing the 1619 Project (which tries to honestly look at American racism), and dismissing any curricula that propose teaching about race in America that they don’t see just how racist their words and actions are.  I suspect they feel that if they keep the smoke screen up, their followers will continue to console themselves that they aren’t racist while they support a political party that promotes all kinds of racist actions, the most critical now, voter suppression specifically targeted at Black voters, claiming they are not racist, you know. 

The racism is clear to everyone who takes time to notice and consider the impact of the new laws in Florida and Georgia, for example.  It would be a mistake to think that initiating more than 360 bills in 47 states to restrict voting, all by Republican legislators is not racist.  Of course, it is racist and was intended to limit participation in elections by people of color in particular and non-Republicans in general.  I just heard a journalist claim Republicans are suggesting these laws because of their focus on voter integrity and security.  That is another Big Lie, their smoke and mirrors explanation for their racist acts, but none of it is true.  There is so little voter fraud in the many cases Republicans brought to challenge the 2020 election, they couldn’t produce any instances. 

The voter suppression push is about keeping non-white groups from gaining power.  If we care about diversity and our democracy, we need to stand up to this encroachment on our rights and democratic values. 

Republicans corralled by Mitch McConnell in the Senate have declared they will vote for nothing that will  help standardize voting or insure the right to vote to all citizens.  Republicans will continue to lean on jerrymandering, voter suppression laws, and challenges to election results to maintain power they don’t deserve and keep the lies and racism coming.  They can’t even support one of their own, an anti-almost everything that would help people kind of Republican, but who speaks the truth about the 2020 election.  Liz Cheyney was ousted from her nothing job today.  All the media just had to over-cover it even though it is as Republican as things get.  When a party thrives on lies, truth can’t survive even in the mouth of someone who parrots every other regressive idea recent Republicans have championed. 

Be prepared.  Republicans have nothing positive to offer.  They have no ideas,  lies rule, and their racism is on display everywhere and is pretty potent. 

Don’t lose heart, though because Republicans are the minority even if they don’t think so.  Democrats will need to use their current majority position to make essential changes.  It will be really bad if Dems blow this opportunity.  Manchin and Sinema, you had better get on board.  If you don’t, Republicans will serve you up for lunch and laugh through the entire meal, while they somehow make you look racist.  That’s how Republicans operate these days in their efforts to take our democracy down. 

FEAR, THE “GIFT” THAT KEEPS ON GIVING

By Ruth A. Sheets

Fear is an amazing thing.  It may be the most powerful motivator of humanity.  Positively, it can move people to stand up to stop destructive actions against themselves and others and fight for change to improve living conditions against natural and manmade dangers.  Negatively, fear of the other is insidious because it takes so many forms and can be wielded with a minimum of effort. 

Many of our phobias are tied to fear:  fear of the dark or night since those others can harm us then; homophobia, transphobia, and xenophobia all pinpointing specific others to fear; fear of young people who are, of course, dangerous, right?

Racism and sexism are all about fear that the other might get some of the privilege the racists or misogynists can’t admit they have.  Ageists and ableists fear they are mortal and don’t want older or disabled people around to remind them.  And so it goes on and on.  Fearmongering is easy because humans evolved to be hyper aware of danger, real or manufactured and it is often hard to tell the difference. 

Parents use fear to keep their children from dangerous situations and sometimes to control their behavior, to keep them in line, perhaps so parents won’t be embarrassed by them.

Schools train students early to be sensitive to fear:  fear of failure, fear of bullies, fear of being left out (which may or may not be a “natural” fear but becomes well sculpted year by year and is related to fear of not fitting in), FEAR OF BEING AWKWARD, and probably more.  

Religious leaders can be strong fearmongers reminding their congregants that they must fear God, fear sinners, fear progress, fear eternal punishment/Hell, fear people not like them because those people will take them down the wrong path and so on, week after week.

However, some of the most proficient users and abusers of fear are political entities.  This goes far beyond candidates and those who serve in elected office.  It includes advertisers, people who operate and donate to Political Action Committees (PACs) and other election finance groups, non-profits with political ambitions, media moguls, and social media users and influencers. 

Wielding fear usually goes along with misinformation and/or selective information.  There are certainly things in life to worry about, but to bring those worries to a higher pitch, fearmongers toss in just enough misinformation, misdirection, even lies to get notice from their targets to promote worry. 

The “Willie Horton ad” used in George H.W., Bush’s 1988 presidential campaign  illustrates this well.  The news media had amplified the increase of violence and the drug war, so people were primed to expect to be victims at some point, and Black men would be the perpetrators.  Willie Horton was a Black criminal who  had been released early, then killed two people.  The ad informed the people of the United States that candidate Mike Dukakis would free all those Black criminals to attack them, the defenseless white people, the true Americans.  Crimes had been committed by White men released early too, while most Black and White early releases led to no crimes.  None of that mattered.  In this case there was insufficient information.  As one can imagine, it was pretty powerful in stirring up fear of African-American men to such a pitch that Bush won handily.  Republicans seemed offended when they were reminded their ad was racist.  It was. 

When the trial for 5 Black teens accused of attacking a woman in Central Park occurred shortly afterward, the young men were all convicted even though they hadn’t been near the site of the crime.  Donald Trump still insists the young men should all have been electrocuted.  I guess he thinks that those young men must have done something worth being executed for.  They were just so scary, you know.

The Republican party continues to be the party of fear.  It has embraced fear as its moral mission.  Racism and misogyny are both at their center, although they have been trotting out White women (in some Governors’ seats, the  House, and Senate) to claim they have the full rights of men.  Black men(in the Senate and Supreme Court) whine that this nation is not racist.  They think these tokens can make up for male fear of women that leads to many anti-abortion and anti-reproductive rights actions throughout the country.  It does not negate White fear of Black men and people of color that has caused the imbalance of Black people caught up in the criminal justice system.

Donald Trump is the poster boy for the fearmongering of Republicans.  We must be afraid of the hoards coming across the Southern border.  Be very afraid of Muslims, no matter where they are from and how much they have helped this country.  Tremble in your shoes at the thought of all those immigrants living in your neighborhood, wanting to take your job, worshipping in a way different from you.  Watch out for those LGBT (or whatever those letters are) people who will be hitting on or “turning” you or your kids. 

Then, there is soooo much voter fraud that we have to stop it.  Those people are going to steal your vote just like they stole the election in 2020 – no evidence for any of it, of course.  

The COVID-19 pandemic has invigorated the Republican fear machine’s.  Fear the vaccine because it will give you COVID.  Fear wearing masks because they will give you COVID.  Don’t be afraid of COVID because it isn’t so bad.  Most people survive it (implied, most White people survive it).  Fear and do harm to Asian-Americans because, well there must be a reason because Trump called COVID “China virus.”  Any pandemic is scary, but there are many who just love to use the uncertainty to move their questionable agenda forward.

In short, the current Republican Party is pleased to see their followers afraid of many things.  Fear makes its victims vulnerable to messages like “I’m the only one who can fix this for you.”  There is also a vulnerability to conspiracy theories that are beyond outrageous, to the point of stupidity.  The creators of those conspiracies, if not actually suffering from delusions, are weaponizing fear to keep followers following and to keep the “enemies” list current.  Electing several of the devotees to Congress insures the stupidity will continue because the media just must put their ravings and complete lies out there as though they have merit.  They don’t. 

The only conspiracies we as a nation should worry about, even fear, are those related to the current Republican Party sloshing around in its own manure, trying to spread its fear onto all of us.  Vigilance and calling the fearmongers out on their fearmongering are ways we who don’t want fear to rule any longer, can stop the insanity. 

We need to stand up and demand that media stop the false equivalencies and call lies and fearmongering what they truly are.  We must tell our legislators we are sick of the voter fraud claims when the only cases rare as they are, in decades have been Republican fraud.  We need to tell our nation we are tired of being told to be afraid of Black men when White men commit more crimes including most mass murders in this country.  We need to proclaim that we are tired of being afraid that the Supreme Court with its conservative allies will take away more of our rights.  Let’s get more people to understand the value of labor unions (except maybe for police) so we won’t fear our jobs or losing them.  We need health care for all so we don’t need to be fearmongered into taking drugs or using services that could harm us.  Get vaccinated so we don’t have to fear COVID as much.  

In short, let’s stand with each other against fear in all its forms so we won’t be victims of the fearmongers any longer.  Let’s put them out of business.  

OPEN LETTER TO SENATOR PAT TOOMEY

by Ruth A. Sheets

Dear Sen. Toomey,

I just heard your little speech today claiming that the voter suppression law that was passed in Georgia recently was REALLY not voter suppression.  Did you actually READ the law?  I haven't read its entire 100 pages, but enough to know that its intent is clearly voter suppression, and very particular voter suppression, people of color, young people and poor people, Jim Crow 2.0 as it has been correctly labelled. 

The 2020 and 2021 elections in Georgia were run extremely smoothly, no fraud, no cheating, but Republicans lost.  What do Republicans do when they lose?  Do they look for new ideas to run on that will actually make things better for Americans, not just the rich white ones?  Of course not, at least not for the past 45 years or so.  Making it illegal to give people water or food in voting lines in places where lines are deliberately set up so lines will be extremely long is what, not an attempt to suppress votes?  Then, giving the state the right to overrule jurisdictions if they don't like the election results, that's not voter suppression?  What is it then? 

In short, I will not belabor the point.  In the sections I have read and heard about, there is nothing that actually helps people to vote.  It does nothing to secure elections as they were already incredibly secure.  It does nothing to get more drop boxes for convenience particularly in areas that serve predominantly people of color.  It does not increase the voting stations in those neighborhoods, or anything else positive.  Oh yes, it keeps some of the early voting, but cuts actual voting hours.  Yes Georgians will get a Sunday for “Souls to the Polls” but they will have to jump through hoops to get absentee ballots with state I.Ds that cost (a poll tax?) and the only excuse given is that one needs an ID to fly.  What a bunch of nonsense!  How typical, defend the indefensible, the unnecessary, with a nonsecquitor! 

So, what would you say is the reason for this 100-page Georgia mess, for fun, for entertainment as lines of people stand in the hot sun waiting hours to vote?  You are a pretty smart guy.  You can at least sometimes recognize the truth.  I believe you actually do know the truth here, but you feel you must verbally support your party.  How sad for you, and you retiring.  Who do you really have to please?  How about standing with our Constitution?  I was thinking you were going to take a more independent stand when you rightly voted to convict Trump for his crimes, but I see, nothing has really changed.  You are a Republican guy with maybe one sort of cause, some kind of gun legislation which of course will never go far enough to make any positive change, but oh well, that's exactly what we can expect from Republicans these days, a bankrupt message, a lot of voter suppression, and more lies.  I am so sorry for that.  I guess we will have to look back in the past for Republicans we can admire:  T.R., Richard Schweiker (someone I voted for more than once), Lincoln, of course and Thaddeas Stevens but those folks are in the past. 

When not a single Republican can see the recent disruptions in the voting process since the Supreme Court in 2013 gutted the 1965 Voting Rights Act, as the voter suppression it is, it does not give American citizens much hope that things will get better without a fight, that is unless the Senate passes S1 “We the People.”  I know Republicans would fight that every step of the way with more lies that they are not perpetrating massive voter suppression, and claim that this bill “would destroy our voting system.”  It will be worth it, though,  to force you all to state those lies in public, in front of those people you are working so hard to keep from the polls. 

I’d say “shame on you Republicans” but alas, you are far beyond feeling shame for any of the appalling things you have either done or allowed to happen in the past few decades. 

One day soon, I predict enough people will be sick of the lies and gaslighting from Republicans and vote you all out.  I hope for the sake of our democracy it is sooner than later.

R.Sheets, Voter since age 18 in 1971 (the year 18-year-olds got the vote) 

HOW TO TELL IF YOU’RE MORALLY BANKRUPT

by Ruth A. Sheets

I know there are a lot of politicians these days who are acting in ways that would indicate their moral compass is off kilter.  The moral structure that would have enabled them to deserve the votes they receive from constituents has moved into the bankrupt range, but it is possible they are not aware of it.

As a public service, I have put together a basic guide to moral bankruptcy.  All elected officials should read through this guide and check off the areas that correspond to their personal and public actions.  If you can acknowledge that any of these pertain to you, you are either on the edge of moral bankruptcy or you have actually arrived.

- You refuse to acknowledge that Donald Trump lost the 2020 election

- you believe there is no voter suppression going on in this country, even in Georgia with their new law

- you think that Black Lives Matter protests during the summer of 2020 were the same as the insurgency on January 6, 2021 in our nation’s Capitol and were actually carried out by the same people, and it wasn’t too bad, “I wasn’t scared”

- you feel you must inform people that you are not a racist

- you loudly proclaim that a law to insure the ability of American citizens to vote will lead to fraud and worse for a century or more

- you believe in trickle-down economics

- you thought it was OK to separate kids from their parents at the border and cage kids like animals, but of course called it something else, like deterrence

- you don’t want ANY immigrants, refugees, or asylum-seekers coming into this country, especially those of color; “they’ll take our jobs, steal our money,” and worse.

- you thought a $600 billion rescue plan would even make a dent in the suffering of people in this country due to COVID-19

- you threatened everyone in your caucus that if they voted for COVID relief there would be really bad consequences for them and you would help orchestrate it

- you signed a huge voter suppression bill in private and had an elected member of the opposition arrested so she couldn’t witness what you were doing

- you can’t imagine people wanting automatic weapons off the streets or open carry that allows people to tote around rifles in public spaces voted down

- you lie more than twice a day in public

- you sexually harass your co-workers, employees, constituents, etc. and swear you haven’t done it even though dozens of women and a few men say you have

- you blame Black people for being poor

- you don’t think you are privileged

- you think police violence against Black and Latino men is nearly always justified

- you refuse to wear a mask when in public

- you claim there is no global warming and that the mega fires and storms are just part of the normal climate cycle

- you either don’t think about farm workers at all or you ignore the terrible conditions they live under while they pick our crops and care for our animals

- you believe the myth of huge numbers of “welfare queens” and that is why you want all kinds of assistance programs cut to the bare bones until those programs are entirely gone

- you are OK with millions of Americans not having medical coverage

- you believe there is such a thing as “reverse racism” and you’ve been a victim of it

- you believe affirmative action gives people of color entrance into colleges, universities, workplaces, etc. they don’t deserve

- you are OK with Jim Crow laws and oppression because “it really wasn’t that bad, you know”

- you are OK with the advantages and benefits you get from lobbyists and vote in appreciation for what they have done for you

- you treat women as inferior to yourself by doing your best to take away their right to choose for themselves

- you bad-mouth and try to destroy labor unions for the benefit of America’s corporations whom you erroneously claim will take care of their workers properly

- you think Donald Trump was the best president in American history

- you were OK with Russian interference with our elections and were willing to lie, claiming it was really Ukraine or China who interfered

- Fox News is your only news outlet

I know this is not a complete list, so I would appreciate any contributions to this guide.  The more opportunities people have to see themselves as possibly in moral trouble, the better the chance they might act to stop it.  Naaaaah!

It seems to me that most politicians at all levels who are on the edge really don’t care and are actively working to see just how far they can go and what they can get away with.  Repairing their moral compass is just not in their best interest. 

Increasing voter suppression is the current morals buster, but if their efforts are slowed or stopped, they will find another way to advance their own power-grabbing at the expense of the most vulnerable Americans.  That is what morally bankrupt people do.  They double down and hope no one who matters will call them on it.  Maybe it’s time for We the People to actively call them out on it and get the word out.  It will be hard because alas, the morally bankrupt have access to lots of resources from fellow bankruptees.  That does not mean it is impossible. 

COURTING THE BASE – OR GROOMING IT

by Ruth A. Sheets

It is nearly impossible to go a few days without hearing from someone that some appalling act or statement done/made by Republicans is to cater to our court “the base.”  This is not new.  It has been going on for at least a couple of decades now and I can’t help but wonder about this “base.”

- Back in the 1990s, Newt Gingrich, a hypocrite par excellence made outrageous claims about the Clinton health care proposal because he said that was what his base wanted.  He also was in the thick of the Clinton impeachment for doing pretty much what he himself was doing, and, for the base.

- A congressman called out during the State of the Union Address that Obama had lied.  Obama hadn’t, but Congressman Wilson’s base donated a lot of money to him because of the unprecedented rude outburst.

- The “Birther” movement got a lot of traction for their lies to rile up the base and one rarely heard that it really didn’t matter where Obama was born since his mother was an American citizen, and John McCain and Ted Cruz were also not born in America.  Knowing that would have disturbed “the base.”

- Marjorie Taylor Greene spews lies, conspiracy theories, and other nonsense “for the base.”

- On January 6^th, an insurrection was perpetrated by some members of the base because the president told them to, while lying to them about the 2020 election.

- This month, the entire Republican contingent in Congress refused to approve of a COVID rescue package because their “base” wouldn’t like it even though 70% of the American people wanted the help. 

It goes on and on and on.

One can’t help but wonder about this “base.”  What kind of people are among “the base.”  What can be said about this base that constantly needs to be placated by acts of injustice and pain toward other people?  Well,

- they are mostly white with some resources.

- They are often rural, but not exclusively. 

- They are people who believe they have not been treated by life, the government, their community, or other people as well as they deserve. 

- They have grievance upon grievance.

- They want/need excitement to help distract them from how hard their life is.

- They want to be part of something big while not really wanting the change they say they want. 

- They are often afraid of people who are not like them, particularly people they have never met in person and they never want to meet those people in person.

- They resent those same people  whom they feel don’t work as hard as they do (of course without actual evidence).  They see those people as society’s takers.  They of course, are the givers, (again, without evidence).

- From the many many interviews by the media in the past decade or so, they are people who desperately need to blame someone for their problems.  They watch a lot of TV and scan a lot of social media to see that other people have more than they do and resent it that they don’t have it.

- They can’t explain any of their feelings or positions on current issues, except, perhaps, to say “He believes what I believe” or “He has the right ideas to take care of those people.”

- The members truly believe that if someone is loud, obnoxious, and bullying, they must be good leadership material and must be speaking the truth (ala Fox “News” et al).

The thing that makes this base dangerous in general, but sad to contemplate is just how vulnerable they are to those loud-mouthed bullies who win their loyalty by lying about, insulting, and degrading others.  This language against others takes away some of the base’s loneliness, fear, and worry that somehow they will be left behind.  It feeds their hatred and anger to such a degree that they forget any positive personal values they might once have held, like “The Golden Rule.”

This is certainly not a new phenomenon.  Racists in the American South during Jim Crow lynched innocent Black people in front of huge crowds with not only approval, but celebration.  The Germans used this vulnerability to wreak havoc in their country and throughout the world in the 1930s and 1940s.  Leaders in China, Russia, Yugoslavia, Rwanda, and so many other places have taken advantage of their people’s vulnerability and have done and gotten them to do horrific things to others, actions that without the hateful, pointed rhetoric they probably would never have done.      

Yes, the base is to blame for their support of terrible measures like separating children from their parents at the border and putting them in cages.  Yes, they are responsible for gluing their eyeballs and ears to the Fox “news” lineup of Hanity, Ingram, Carlson, and the late Rush Limbaugh.  To suck in the milk of hatred and fear is a choice even though in their vulnerability, they probably didn’t even realize what was happening to them.  They could have stepped back and asked how what was being claimed could be true, but they didn’t and don’t.

I wondered why until I realized that what happens to vulnerable people is a kind of grooming.  A lot of privileged people have learned just how to get what they want and to keep it coming.  They have practiced the words, emotions, the timing and identifying the targets before they actually strike. 

In some ways, the base is at a major disadvantage.  This is particularly true when their religious and community leaders, people they should trust spout the same lies in their ears.  Who can they turn to?  They are already so boxed in with others who are just like themselves and are feeding on their feelings of superiority to those who don’t see the world as they do, while they are feeling the deep shame of not achieving in life what they had hoped.  In this state, they are totally open to whatever the candidates, talking heads, and other nefarious entities want of them.

Just like a pedophile who grooms innocent young people to become sex objects that the groomer cares nothing for beyond the use he (mostly he) can make of them for his (mostly his) personal gratification, some Republicans and their allies use these tactics toward “the base,” caring nothing for them beyond how they can be used for their party’s gratification.  Then, they do just enough for the base to let them believe the “groomer” actually loves them and will take care of them. 

Teaching and encouraging critical thinking in school and in society in general would possibly break the grooming-using cycle.  The problem, who can the vulnerable members of the base trust?  Then, what kind of chaos will come about for them within their social sphere if they do speak up and report what they know? 

PANDEMIC TEACHING

by Ruth A. Sheets

I am a teacher and have been for more than a quarter of a century.  The 2020-2021 school year has been the most difficult for me since I started teaching.  Of course, it is primarily due to the pandemic. 

We teachers have been meeting with our students by zoom for nearly a year.  That in itself is not the problem, it is that we and our supervisors are trying to pretend that this year is no different from all other years.  It is.  Nothing like this pandemic has happened to us in a bit over a century.  We were not prepared for it either as individuals or as school communities, and that is definitely evident. 

We should be using the issues of the pandemic and the challenges as teachable moments and base our reading, math, science, and social studies instruction on that.  We should take this opportunity to focus on problem-solving what the country should look like when the pandemic has been tamed.  There will be a new normal.  Having students read and respond to materials relevant to that potential new normal would help them feel as though they have a part in creating what is to come.  

We should have been using the technology available to us to help students connect with others in very positive ways and let them help each other explore the challenges of COVID-19, systemic racism, global warming, poverty, and the other issues that have been brought into full relief since the start of the pandemic.  The internet is working, so students can explore and report back.  Even young children can participate – C is for COVID, V is for virus.  I bet there is a whole alphabet for the words of this special time.  

In addition, we need to stop calling this a lost year and complaining that students have gained nothing since March 2020.  By trying to pretend teaching and learning are just the same but online is doing a great disservice to our teachers and students as well as our families.  Our children are not failures.  They are amazing young people who are learning to face some adversity and figuring out how to deal with it.  That is astonishing and we should be acknowledging them for it rather than beating them down with ridiculous expectations of learning the usual curriculum at the same pace as pre-pandemic times.  That makes no sense and can be a factor in sending our precious kids into depression and other emotional pain.  I have even heard educators state that we should not refer to the pandemic at all.  Talk about burying one’s head in the sand!

With the stress of learning to survive and eventually, perhaps to thrive in this weird world of Zoom, hybrid, whatever, educators are still expected to administer the weeks-long batteries of standardized tests, if not this spring, than definitely in the fall.  For what purpose will this be done, so the corporations that make the tests won’t lose money, so we can prove our kids didn’t master all the stuff in the curriculum while also trying to manage life in COVID Land?

This should be a time of experimentation.  We should be looking at ways to catch our students’ attention, deeply involve them in what is happening and help them develop the social-emotional intelligence that will give them the ability to function as active informed citizens.  Perhaps the books and online resources we go to should show young people (or animal characters) dealing with tough situations and making it through.  They could be encouraged to write about their experiences of this year.  I suspect their descriptions will look quite different from those of adults during this time.

Colleagues are giving out “F’s” like candy to accentuate that our kids really are failures if they don’t come to Zoom every day and don’t hand in activities they know don’t relate in any way to and ignore what they are experiencing.  This is just one more way our society demonstrates its lack of true care for and appreciation of our precious children. 

One thing I know for certain, we can do better. 

THE INFANTILIZATION OF REPUBLICANS

by Ruth A. Sheets

The impeachment trial of Donald Trump began this week and it is clear Republicans have decided to take on the shield of young childhood.  In our culture, children under a certain age (depending on the child’s race), are not responsible for their actions.  In some cases parents are responsible and in others, we put offending children out of our way so they may suffer for their acts, but do not learn to take responsibility for them.

The Republican Party and conservatives in general do not have any kind of plan to support the American people beyond grabbing power and helping themselves to the support of the American people.  Pretty childish wouldn’t you say?

- Republicans have no serious plan to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 (or any other health problem in our country).  In fact, many of them declare it their right to spread the virus as much as they want to because they don’t have to wear a mask and no one can make them do it. 

Doesn’t that sound like the petulant bullies you saw on the elementary school playground when you were a kid?  You can’t make me do that.  I have my rights!

- Republicans elected and have nearly universally supported a president they allowed to break the laws of our nation with impunity because, well . . . .  They don’t have an honest reason because it means they would have to be held accountable for his actions and their hearty support of them.  If you want to see which crimes lately, just watch or listen to the impeachment trial.

Doesn’t this remind you of the bratty kids at school who said, “You can’t touch me or my dad will come and beat you up.”  A lot of teachers knew this was often no idle boast.  We saw Trump’s “daddys” show up at our nation’s Capitol and storm it, threatening our elected lawmakers, some of whom were OK with the invasion, perhaps hoping the child-men and women would get the other guys, not them.

- Republicans have no plan to bring the economy back from disaster except to push the stock market even higher which makes the richest among them and their corporate supporters even richer.  Who cares that  28 million families are desperate often without food and that many will be evicted from their homes as soon as landlords can arrange it?  They are quibbling with Biden and Democrats whether to give a $1400 assistance check to those earning $75,000 a year or $50,000 a year.  

Doesn’t that seem a lot like the kid who is willing to lend you a quarter for a treat while stealing stuff from your lunch box?  Kids learn how to distract and focus attention on the things that are not what is important.  The truth is that a $1400 check is not too helpful for anyone.  Take the air out of the room with a nonsense argument so people will forget what real suffering in this country has been this past year.  That is so Republican and conservative these days, quibble and whine while getting richer than anyone deserves.

-  Republicans have decided to “deny” science, or rather, to dismiss the parts of science they don’t like.  These are mostly educated men and women, so they know what science is and that if scientists have come to a consensus on something like climate change, it is true.  But they set that knowledge aside to get desperate followers to believe science can’t help them and that only this politician can. Following science means they might actually have to act.

Doesn’t that remind you of the kids at school who got an answer wrong on the test but kept complaining that their answer was really right and they can prove it if they had the right information?

- Many Republicans and conservatives are loving the Q-anon conspiracy theory.  It is one of the most ridiculous of the many conspiracy theories out there right now.  Who can honestly think Donald Trump would be secretly fighting a bunch of Democrats and Hollywood folk who are cannibalistic pedophiles or that such a group even exists?  If any critical thinking were involved, no one, but thinking critically requires people to question their judgment about a lot of things and many children never learn to do that and carry that lack of critical thinking into adulthood.  If anything, Mr. Trumps past history with possible sex traffickers would indicate he might be supporting those people not fighting them if they actually existed.

Doesn’t this remind you of the kids who just LOVE having a secret no one else knows?  They would sing “nah nah nah nah nah, I know something that you don’t.”  The problem now is that everyone knows their ridiculous secret, so they cling to it more tightly and add to the crimes these cannibalistic pedophiles are doing and have done.  None of it is true, of course, but it is after all, a BIG SECRET!! 

- From the time Donald Trump took office in 2017 to the day he left office in 2021, he has lied in public and public media more than 30,000 times and was not really held accountable for any of it.

Doesn’t that sound a lot like the kid who despite groundings and phone removals just keeps on lying and making up stuff?  At least those kids were told that what they said was wrong and had consequences.  Donald Trump has had none.  Republicans/conservatives often assisted Mr. Trump with his lies and amplified them for him, knowing perfectly well they were lies, the posse supporting the schoolyard bully.

What is behind this infantilization is power.  Spoiled children have a lot of power, particularly at home and often at school and in their other spheres of influence.  It seems a lot of the Republicans/conservatives in power now had their childish skills honed as children and decided they liked the feeling they had when ruling the roost, so would not have to abandon them for adulthood.   That would mean taking responsibility for their actions and for the actions of those with whom they associate.  Can’t do that!